Freya Black Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 close to an A list actor. Hitting them tends to be rather expensive. Wait I thought we were talking about the UK? Freya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 A list actors do come to the UK, I've even filmed the odd one.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freya Black Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 A list actors do come to the UK, I've even filmed the odd one.. Theres been a lot of big shoots right across the road from me but it's been incredibly rare to have A-List actors. I can only think of one occasion and theres been some very big movies! Anyway, I thought you were in the states Brian? Did you move here? Freya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 No, I live in the UK. Movie making is an international business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted February 15, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted February 15, 2014 Ride-on cranes? A-list actors? Not in my world. As I say I'm not sure there is a ride-on crane in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 There are quite a few cranes around, just check out any grip rental place, with careful planning you don't need that big a budget to use one on a production. I've even had them on the shorts I've directed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freya Black Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 No, I live in the UK. Movie making is an international business. I must have confused you with someone else! :) Yes I'm aware of the international aspect! ;) Freya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freya Black Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Not in my world. As I say I'm not sure there is a ride-on crane in the UK. I was on a big BBC shoot a while back and they had a big cherry picker crane if that counts. Just a regular one tho nothing specialised. Other than that I only ever see smaller techno cranes on the larger shoots. Freya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 A cherry picker is more of a hoist type device. I gather you now need to be qualified (not a grip thing) to operate them on BBC productions. There is now a wide range of cranes from the Jimmy Jib type up to the large cranes with remote heads. The ride on jobs are still out there, if you wish to use them will depend on the nature of the production, the demands of the shot and if the budget allows the cost of the remote head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 As a starting point for anyone interested in grip stuff, here's the Red Book: http://www.panavision.co.uk/pdf/bigredbook/big-red-book.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Tyler Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Eddie, Not sure of how it works in the UK, but in the States I'd recommend you find work as a set P.A. and then make friends with the grips. Once the same grips recognize your competence on a few projects and know that you're seeking grip work, they might recommend you as a grip on smaller, low-pay projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted February 15, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted February 15, 2014 find work as a set P.A. Join the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanjay Sami Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Ahh I should of specified, My goal is to become just a straight up grip. Maybe a dolly grip later on down the line, I love doing manual labour which is why the change of heart from IT. Eddie, I am very seriously looking for committed trainees for the movies I work on. The downside is you will have to find a way to base yourself in Bombay for a year. I do some interesting work, and if you have the ability to support yourself financially in Bombay as a trainee, you might find it interesting. Regards Sanjay Sami Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Bombay sounds an interesting experience , but I suspect it wouldn't count towards getting the NVQ in the UK. Although, it may help getting you noticed in the crowd in getting started in the UK, but sometimes it can work against you, that's something to be worked out before going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Cole Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I spoke to someone just this morning from the grips branch and I got most of the information I needed, Its all a bit crazy with the amount of information but it really helped and so did the comments on here, I think im finally finding some direction, Thanks very much for all your responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Good luck with it. You could check out Michael Uva's books, they're US centred and some of the terms can be different, but could be useful background knowledge for any interviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Cole Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 Good luck with it. You could check out Michael Uva's books, they're US centred and some of the terms can be different, but could be useful background knowledge for any interviews. Ive got those in my amazon basket ready to be ordered as soon as I can afford it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freya Black Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Ive got those in my amazon basket ready to be ordered as soon as I can afford it. They have a huge collection of American Cinematographer at the Met library opposite the dry dock which is worth checking out too. Not directly grip related but you know, still interesting... Glad to hear the grip people you contacted where helpful. That's great! :) Freya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Miguel King Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Try the GBCT too. They're very nice people and will sure guide you in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanjay Sami Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 The idea that it is necessary to have a two-year apprenticeship to lay track and push a dolly is absurd. I mean, I own what I like to think is a reasonably serviceable dolly. What am I supposed to do, never use it unless I've got some £400/day chainsmoker sitting on an apple box telling me how hard his life is? P Thats a pretty outrageous summing up of the Grip department. Not everyone aspires to do handy cam home projects with dollies knocked together with gardening accessories. Step onto a real set and perhaps your opinion will change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanjay Sami Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hey Eddie, Read the latest post ( and all the other posts) in the very informative dollygrippery.com http://www.dollygrippery.net It will inspire and excite you ... and also show you that there is more to being a Grip than sitting on an apple box and chain-smoking. Apprenticeships are important if you want to learn well. It maybe compulsory in England, but it is the tradition elsewhere. Most good Key Grips and Dolly Grips began as understudies to someone more experienced. If you want to work on the kind of movies that Darryl describes in his blog, you cannot get that kind of experience with DIY gardening shed projects. Regards Sanjay Sami 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted February 19, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2014 Thats a pretty outrageous summing up of the Grip department. I freely accept that it is. I speak, however, as I find. Step onto a real set and perhaps your opinion will change. Where do you think I formed this impression? Where else do you find real grips? P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Cole Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hey Eddie, Read the latest post ( and all the other posts) in the very informative dollygrippery.com http://www.dollygrippery.net It will inspire and excite you ... and also show you that there is more to being a Grip than sitting on an apple box and chain-smoking. Apprenticeships are important if you want to learn well. It maybe compulsory in England, but it is the tradition elsewhere. Most good Key Grips and Dolly Grips began as understudies to someone more experienced. If you want to work on the kind of movies that Darryl describes in his blog, you cannot get that kind of experience with DIY gardening shed projects. Regards Sanjay Sami Yeah Ive been reading this blog for a couple weeks its fantastic and ive picked up some really valuable tips from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl Richard Humber Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Phil, I've always appreciated your cutting honesty about a lot of topics. Sanjay is right on this one, though. You paint with a pretty broad brush when you lump us all into the "sitting on an apple box chain smoking" group. I don't know what kinds of jobs you do (although I have an idea) but I can assure you that my ass rarely touches an apple box and that is true for most of the dolly grips I know. I'm usually busy swinging a technocrane at high speed around a car going 30 miles an hour from an insert car or rigging a camera on something. I would think you would want someone who's doing this to be well compensated and have some training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted February 19, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2014 I don't know what kinds of jobs you do Nothing terribly impressive, as I'm sure you've realised. We simply don't do that sort of thing round here. I even know a Jimmy Jib operator who was asked to strap his jib to the back of a pickup truck and do Russian Arm style stuff while pelting down a runway - and this from a TV show you'd have heard of. Yes of course one would expect these things to be trained and insured, but that's not really the point: stuff at that level is done in the UK so microscopically rarely that I would expect to go my whole life and never see it done (actually I have seen it done, but only under exceptional circumstances). P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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